The effect of black seed oil massage on the severity of restless legs syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes

Considering that traditional medicine has been used to treat sleep disorders due to restless leg syndrome, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of black seed oil massage on the severity of restless legs syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes.

This clinical trial was conducted on 152 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran, in 2022. Based on the International Restless Leg Syndrome Scale (IRLSS), patients with moderate and severe severity of restless leg syndrome (score ≥ 11) were divided into two equal (intervention and control) groups (n=76). The control group received routine treatment. In the intervention group, in addition to routine treatment, effleurage foot massage with black seed oil was performed. At the end of the course, the intensity of restless legs syndrome in the two groups was checked again.

Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in the intensity of restless legs syndrome in the control and intervention groups. At the end of the intervention, the mean intensity levels of this syndrome in the control and intervention groups were 26.63±5.81 and 18.88±8.44, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant.

Foot massage using black seed oil was effective in reducing the restless legs syndrome intensity in patients with type 2 diabetes. It is recommended that this method be used along with the usual treatment methods to relieve the restless legs syndrome in these patients.